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The capital has, for the second week in a row, reigned supreme with Wellington A Black defeating Auckland 1, 27-21, in the grand final of the Netball NZ U17 Champs this afternoon.

After four days of competition at the North Canterbury Netball Centre, 40 teams competed against each other culminating in a final contest between the top two teams.

Wellington A Black started the grand final strongly, but it was their tenacity after half-time that saw them take the advantage over Auckland 1 with a commanding 11-goal lead.Auckland 1 clawed their way back on the scoreboard in the final quarter however it was not enough to overtake the Wellington team who recorded a six-goal win.

The lure of wearing the coveted black dress in the inaugural Netball Quad Series and New World Netball Series for the Taini Jamison Trophy will go on the line when 28 Silver Fern hopefuls go head-to-head at the upcoming trials.

The trials will take place in Auckland from Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 August with the Silver Ferns and NZA teams to be announced on August 17.

12 players will be selected for the Silver Ferns to face the England Roses, South Africa’s SPAR Proteas and the Australian Diamonds in the Netball Quad Series in August.

New Zealand will host the Series opener - a blockbuster double header featuring the Australian Diamonds v SPAR Proteas and Silver Ferns v England Roses at Vector Arena (August 27), before Claudelands Arena hosts the Silver Ferns and SPAR Proteas (August 31), with the Silver Ferns rounding out the Series in Melbourne against the Australian Diamonds (September 4).

A team will also be named for the New World Netball Series for the Taini Jamison Trophy, where the Silver Ferns will face the Jamaican Sunshine Girls in September.

The three-Test Series will see the Silver Ferns play at the Trafalgar Centre, Nelson (September 11), Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North (September 14) and Energy Events Centre, Rotorua (September 17).

Netball New Zealand (NNZ) is pleased to announce the 14 athletes selected in the team for the 20/U International Tournament in Canberra, Australia, 11-14 August.

The tournament, played at Netball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, will also feature two Australian 20/U teams, England, Aotearoa Maori and a combined State Institute of Sport/State Academy of Sport (SIS/SAS) team.

An important part of New Zealand’s preparations ahead of Netball World Youth Cup GABORONE 2017 (NWYC2017), the team includes 12 of the incumbent Silver Ferns Development Squad, plus two new faces.

The Emerging Talent Selection Panel selected the team based on performances in the ANZ Championship, Beko Netball League and Netball NZ U19 Champs.

NWYC2017 will be held July 8-16, 2017. New Zealand is the defending champion, and will announce their team in early 2017.

Wellington defeated Auckland 38-25 in the final of the National U19 Netball tournament in Nelson today, after drawing 32-32 with them earlier in the week. Christchurch finished third and Waitakere fourth.

An U19 tournament team was selected afterwards – listed below. The team features some current secondary school players (in bold) and several players that made their marks for their schools in 2015.

Teams competing in regional Premier secondary school netball competitions are taking a well-earned breather over the school holidays, before a busy stretch coming up. For the leading schools, the ultimate prize is the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships being held from 4-7 October in Lower Hutt. Sixteen of the country’s gun netball schools will descend on Walter Nash Stadium following qualification through the three zone tournaments. The top six teams from the Upper North Island tournament joined by the leading five from the Lower North Island and South Island tournaments.

Here’s a look at where three of the competitions are at – Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury:

AucklandThe Auckland Premier 1 competition is on hiatus from 2 July – 27 July – resuming with a night round on the first Wednesday of the new term.

National winners Mount Albert Grammar School and Saint Kentigern College were the top two schools in the country last year.

So it is little surprise that six rounds into the 11-round competition, MAGS and St Kent’s are neck and neck in the 12-team Premier competition at the top of the table.

In fact, little separates the two. Both are unbeaten on 24 points on the table. St Kent’s have scored 286 goals and let in 140, while MAGS have netted 250 goals and conceded 148.

The key round-robin game coming up will be the showdown between MAGS and St Kent’s 6 August at MAGS.

Of the other contenders, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School are third with four wins, a loss and a draw and Westlake Girls’ High School and Howick College are fourth equal with three wins, two losses and a draw each.

Finals night is on Wednesday 24 August.

WellingtonSt Mary’s College, who finished fourth at the Nationals last year, hold sway in the Wellington WelTec Netball Premiership competition.

After three rounds, St Mary’s and Wellington East Girls’ College are unbeaten on 12 points, with Sacred Heart and Queen Margaret College both on 8 with two wins from three.

St Mary’s beat close rivals Wellington East Girls’ College (WEGC) 24-11 when they met in the final of the pre-competition tournament on 19 May. Wellington Girls’ College defeated St Oran’s College in the third versus fourth match.

St Mary's and WEGC meet in the first round following the holidays, on 25 July.

St Mary’s College's 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools representatives Ainsleyana Puleiata and Renee Savai'inaea have all been playing well.

WEGC, who finished third at the Secondary Schools nationals in 2015, are in rebuilding mode, with their national representative this year being Tiana Metuarau.

WEGC edged Wellington Girls’ College 27-26 in the last round before the holidays, while St Mary’s defeated Lower Hutt’s Sacred Heart College 41-24.

There are five rounds to play next term, with the finals on 22 August.

CanterburySt Margaret’s College, Christchurch, recently took out the first round of the Canterbury SuperNet competition, winning all seven games.

There were some close results though for St Margaret’s who are anchored by their NZ Schools player Lily Marshall, such as their 24-21 win over last year’s champions Ashburton College, 32-27 win over St Andrew’s College and 33-23 over Christchurch Girls’ High School.

A group of four teams all finished the first round bunched together with four wins from seven, these being Marian College, Villa Maria College, Ashburton and St Andrew’s.

Cashmere High School, who were the top finishing South Island team at last year’s nationals (in seventh) are anchored to the bottom of the table at the end of the first round.

Lincoln High School A won all seven first games in the SuperNet Reserve competition.

The post section competition for the Westpac Trust Shield starts immediately after the school holidays.

There are two sections of four seeded teams each in a round-robin series on 27 July, 3 August and 10 August, followed by semi-finals and playoffs on 17 August and the final and playoffs on 24 August.

Courtney Elliott has just been selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball team for the second year running.

The Tai Wananga (Hamilton) Year 13 student is also in the new Waikato-Bay of Plenty squad for the new five-team Beko Netball League series that got under way this past weekend, one of several school girls playing in this competition.

Specialist defender Courtney has a big future on the netball court.

But first, a yarn about one of her other sporting interests in the ring.

“I had my first Muay Thai [kickboxing] fight about a month ago,” Courtney told College Sport Media. “It was so fun, just the adrenalin made it awesome.”

She won too. “Having done karate, this is so much different. In karate we wear pads but in Muay Thai the only thing I had protecting me was my mouthguard, so I was really nervous. I was fighting a woman a few years older than me. It was a 74kg division bout and I weighed in at 71.8 and she was 74.5kg. But I won. It went the full three rounds.”

Courtney said this is something she is keen to do again - but at the moment she is concentrating on netball.

Courtney and the NZSS netball team goes into camp this coming Friday, ahead of the International School Girls Competition in the first week of term two in early May.

The other defenders in the team are Lily Marshall (St Margaret’s College), Elle Temu (MAGS) and Antonia Hei Hei (Te Rito Manukura).

“I’ve played with, or against, a lot of these players before, so it’s cool that we’re playing together. I played with Sydney Fraser (St Kentigern College) and Tiana Metuarau (Wellington East Girls' College) in this NZSS team last year.”

Last year’s NZSS teammate and fellow defender Holly Fowler debuted for the Northern Mystics in the opening round of the ANZ Championship, while goal shoot Maia Wilson recently played her first game for the Central Pulse.

Courtney’s pleased to be in the Waikato-Bay of Plenty squad in the inaugural BEKO Netball League Series. “Our first game is this weekend in Rotorua but I’m not going to be there for the opener as I’ll be in the NZSS camp.” All going well she will play her first game for that side next week.

In club netball she plays for Waikato University this year in the Super 14 competition, after playing for Fraser Tech last season. The Super 14 competition is a combined Auckland-Waikato club competition.Last November she won the Netballer of the Year award at the 2015 Waikato Secondary School Sports Awards.

She’s been playing netball most of her life. “I used to play as a shooter for my school team and then as a defender for representative teams. I ruled out shooting and just play defence now.”How does she fit everything in?

“I also used to play softball [as a national age-grade representative] and loved that. But I was also really enjoying netball so concentrated on that.

“I have two trainings or practices a day for everything, sometimes more. I play netball on Monday nights and Friday afternoons and I’m usually competing in tournaments or competitions in the weekends, it’s pretty full on!”

She thanks her mum. “She is my alarm,” she joked. “Mum manages me and reminds me all the time, do this, do that, and I’m there!”

Courtney is also extremely grateful for the endless support that she receives from her family, especially her favourite uncle Ken who is without a doubt her Number one fan.​It’s a big year ahead for Courtney, but she said that next year she’s definitely keen to go to university and hopes to get a scholarship.

Thrust into the limelight earlier than expected, teenaged Central Pulse shooter Maia Wilson isn’t about to rest on her laurels after delivering an eye-catching first round ANZ Championship netball debut.

With the experienced Jodi Brown ruled out for the season through injury, the rookie had big shoes to fill but won plenty of admirers with her composure in a tight one-goal win over Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the opening round.

With the daunting challenge of playing defending champions, the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane on Monday in Round 2, and the prospect of squaring off against arguably the world’s best goalkeeper in Laura Geitz, Wilson is not getting ahead of herself.

"I just need to focus on what my strengths are, game by game, day by day, training by training and not get caught up in all the hype that’s floating around,’’ she said.

The baby of the team at just 18, Wilson came to the Pulse with an enviable sporting pedigree where she excelled in netball and basketball but straight out of school, making the necessary adjustment has been significant.

"I’ve never physically pushed my body this hard before and pre-season was definitely a tough one for me but now I’m getting out on court, it’s been so rewarding, so the hard work is paying off,’’ she said.

"But that doesn’t mean I stop here, it just means I need to keep pushing through and continue to do the extra yards in training and stuff like that.’’

Joining the Pulse also meant Wilson making the move away from family and her home city of Auckland to the Capital but she has taken it all in her stride without a backward glance.

Flatting with fellow Pulse youngsters Kate Wells and Blaze Leslie, Wilson has also taken on some part-time university study, with the view to creating a more balanced life and time away from netball.

"I’ve enjoyed the move down to Wellington,’’ she said. ``Personally, it was exactly what I needed….a different environment to what I was used to. Getting away from family and friends was definitely hard but I needed a bit of independence and being fully immersed in netball life down here has just been amazing.

"I’m definitely living the dream. I never thought I’d be given this opportunity and to get out (on court) on Monday was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

"Apart from my debut with the Tall Ferns (New Zealand women’s basketball team), this is definitely second on the list. I’m very honoured and grateful for this opportunity and hopefully more comes my way.’’

Making her Tall Ferns debut at the tender age of 16 and last year becoming the youngest-ever Silver Ferns trialist, Wilson has enjoyed success at a young age but retains a level-headed outlook.

Finding a ready-made new family with the Pulse, the 1.89m shooter knows because of her age and newness of the team, the season won’t all be plain sailing but is grateful for the help offered by the senior players and in particular, the sideline influence of Brown.

"I think there are going to be ups and downs in any team, whether you’re top of the table or bottom of the table,’’ she said.

"You’re going to have great times and you’re going to have some that aren’t that great but it comes down to how resilient you are and the actions you do outside of those instances that produces a really good team, and that’s what we want to be.’’

The student will take on the master when Central Pulse shooter Maia Wilson lines up in the ANZ Championship netball clash against Melbourne Vixens in Wellington on Monday.​Education has been a recurring theme across a number of platforms for the 18-year-old in her first year out of school and living away from home, the learnings from her first steps in the rough and tumble of semi-professional netball being the most visible.

Thrust unexpectedly into the limelight when the experienced Jodi Brown’s season was derailed by injury, Wilson has responded like a seasoned campaigner and shown she belongs. It hasn’t all been plain sailing but the talented teen has not taken a backward step, rising to the challenge in a way that sets her apart.Still forging her craft, Wilson would be the first to admit she’s got a long way to go, and on Monday, her education will continue when she comes up against one of the game’s most respected defenders in Geva Mentor, the pair at opposite ends of their careers.

``It’s been a huge jump from schoolgirl netball into an ANZ Championship franchise and to come into the starting line-up for this season has been awesome,’’ Wilson said.

``We haven’t been consistent as a team but I’ve been lucky enough that this has been my first taste of ANZ, so I’ve just tried to learn and develop my style of game with each and every outing. Each game has been a new challenge against a new opponent that I’d never played against before.

``A lot of those opponents have been world-class Australian or New Zealand defenders, so that has been a huge learning curve and for me a great way to develop not only my game on the court, but off the court as well.’’

Statistically, Wilson is more than holding her own in select company amongst the competition’s shooting heavyweights, where she sits second on the accuracy standings at 92.4 percent with only the Mystics’ Cathrine Tuivaiti ahead of her.

In many ways, Wilson is just an ordinary teenager, but being a young high achiever on the sporting field, where she has excelled at netball and basketball, there is an acquired wisdom and maturity beyond her years.

With rarely any visible flicker of emotion when in the thick of action, there is, however, a constant burning inner determination to be better. A challenging season with the Pulse has added to the experience bank which Wilson believes will only help her grow and develop into a more complete player.

"There’s going to be ups and downs and we’ve had a fair few of both,’’ she said. "But, I guess, I’m really lucky and honoured to have had this opportunity and specially to get out on court each week.

"I came into this environment not expecting the amount of game time that I’ve had and I’ve cherished every moment of it and I would like to think, even revelled in it, a bit.’’

Fittingly, the trans-Tasman clash between the Pulse and Vixens will be the final game of the regular season in the final edition of the ANZ Championship, the same two teams kick-starting the bold new era of semi-professional netball in 2008.

"Having home court advantage is a bonus,’’ Wilson said. "We need to lower our turnovers while capitalising on our gains and exploit any of their weaknesses. Consistency is the key for us and hopefully we can bring that to the game.’’​It’s a must-win game for both teams if they’re to have any chance of clinching the all-important third spots in their respective conferences.